Vandals damage thousands of native plants at Candlestick Point

Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, a state park slated for closure, has hit an even bigger setback after vandals destroyed $15,000 worth of plants and equipment over the weekend.

On Sunday night, vandals appear to have broken in to the community garden at the state park, located by the football stadium in San Francisco’s Hunters Point/Bayview neighborhood, said Patrick Rump, nursery manager of the nonprofit Literacy for Environmental Justice, which is among several groups trying to save the park. The state’s first urban park is one of 70 slated for closure due to budget cuts.

The vandals flipped over rows of tables with thousands of native plants, destroying half of the 7,000 to 8,000 plants in stock, Rump said. They included California sea-blight, an endangered species, and some plants that had been growing for years.

IMAG2482

The garden. (Credit: Cristina Vargas)

The plants were intended for the restoration of Yosemite Slough Wetlands, the first part of a project that will return 34 acres of shoreline to its natural state and create the largest contiguous wetland area in San Francisco. The vandals also destroyed gardening tools and other nursery equipment used by volunteer groups.